This application claims the priority of German application No. 102 06 502.0, filed Feb. 16, 2002 the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a compressed-gas tank system having at least two gas vessels.
It is known to store and transport compressed gases in gas cylinders. The gas cylinder vessels, which are, for example, cylindrical, are filled with a gas which is at a pressure which is higher than ambient pressure. The gas cylinders usually have a shut-off valve on one side, and, by way of example, a pressure regulator can be connected to the shut-off valve and used to remove the gas from the cylinder and reduce its pressure to a desired removal pressure. There is usually also a safety device comprising a fusible safety feature, which opens when the tank reaches an unacceptable excess temperature, allows the pressure to be reduced and therefore protects against excess pressure. If relatively large quantities of gas are required, gas cylinders of this type are, for example, connected in series.
If motor vehicle equipment is to be supplied with compressed gas on board, it is necessary for it to be possible to carry a sufficient quantity of the gas in the vehicle. In the case of multivessel compressed-gas tank systems, it is necessary for the plurality of vessels to be connected to one another, which leads to leakage problems and to high costs on account of the complexity of the system.
German Patent Document DE 201 03 682 U1 has disclosed a gas assembly station, comprising a number of compressed-gas cylinders, which are arranged in a container and are connected to one another by means of high-pressure lines. The common high-pressure outlet of the compressed-gas cylinders can be closed by means of a valve.
German Patent Document DE 35 15 220 A1 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,523,548) has disclosed a compressed-gas tank system of the generic type in which a plurality of compressed-gas tanks are connected, in each case via a valve, to a distributor for the compressed gas. In addition, there is a frame having in each case one frame element assigned to the base part and one frame element assigned to the removal part of the compressed-gas cylinders in order to hold a plurality of compressed-gas cylinders.
The invention is based on an object of providing a multivessel compressed-gas tank system which is suitable for supplying a vehicle with compressed gas and which, despite having a simplified structure, satisfies the requirements with regard to safety in the event of a crash.
This object is achieved according to certain preferred embodiments of the invention by a compressed-gas tank system having at least two gas vessels, the gas vessels having a base part and a removal part as well as openings which are assigned to the removal parts, having a connecting rail, which connects the removal parts to one another, the openings being in flow communication with a gas passage which runs inside the connecting rail, and the gas vessels being mechanically connected to a supporting rail, wherein a shut-off valve, which is common to all the gas vessels, is arranged at a first gas-passage outlet of the connecting rail, wherein removal parts are connected to the connecting rail without any pipelines being connected therebetween, and wherein the supporting rail and the connecting rail form a holding frame for the gas vessels.
One advantage of the solution according to the invention consists in the fact that the compressed-gas tank system represents a device which is suitable for mass production, which is desirable in particular for use in vehicles. The device also has a reduced likelihood of leaks, which is of benefit both with regard to safety and with regard to environmental aspects. Furthermore, the device according to the invention allows lower costs, since it is able to make do with a reduced number of expensive shut-off valves. The device can also easily be extended to encompass a different number of gas vessels. Moreover, the structure of the system is simplified, since a connecting rail connects a plurality of gas vessels in terms of flow and, at the same time, together with a further supporting rail, serves to form a holding frame for the gas vessels.
The provision of a connecting rail with a common shut-off valve also makes it possible to provide a common pressure-relief safety feature in the form of a fusible safety feature arranged at the connecting rail.
Arranging the gas vessels in parallel makes it possible to form a holding frame in a simple way. Arranging the supporting rail in the region of the base parts of the gas vessels results in a structure which is as stable as possible.
Suitably matching the material thickness and length of the connecting rail in such a manner that the connecting rail and the attachment to the gas vessels have at least the same mechanical stability and impact strength as an individual gas vessel of the same volume ensures a higher level of variability in the arrangement while, at the same time, ensuring that the arrangement is safe in the event of a crash. In this case, the multivessel compressed-gas tank system satisfies the same test requirements as a large single-tank system.
A suitable connecting rail with a high level of stability can preferably be produced by casting.
It will be understood that the abovementioned features and those which are still to be explained below can be used not only in the combination given in each instance but also in other combinations or on their own without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Further advantages and configurations of the invention will emerge from the claims and from the description.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.